The Right Lane:  Human Trafficking Emphasis Underway

Welcome back for the second installment of what we are calling “The Right Lane.” 

This week, I would like to draw your attention to an awareness and outreach effort sponsored by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA).  Starting January 9 and continuing for five days, officers around the country will be looking to educate the public and specifically those in the commercial vehicle industry about Human Trafficking.  You can look at the official press release from CVSA here for a nationwide overview.  In Washington, we will be handing out information to drivers as we contact them.  We also provide information at our Ports of Entry and other scale facilities across the state.  The WSP partners with Truckers Against Trafficking to help provide training and awareness to our law enforcement colleagues and citizens. 

As CVSA notes in their press release, “If you suspect someone is in a human trafficking situation or you are the victim of human trafficking, call the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888 or text 233733. The hotline is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Support is provided in more than 200 languages and all calls are confidential and answered live by highly trained anti-trafficking hotline advocates.” 

Every year National Human Trafficking Awareness Day is recognized on January 11th. In recognition of the day, Blue Campaign, which is aligned with the Department of Homeland Security, hosts a social media campaign called #WearBlueDay.  To raise awareness, Blue Campaign asks that people across the globe wear blue.  They also encourage people to take photos of their blue attire and post them on social media using the #WearBlueDay hashtag.  For more information, visit: